Sheet cutting and feeding machine



y 1931. c. B. MAXSON 1,804,223

SHEET CUTTING AND FEEDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 10. 1 29 wk. p

' CE \i 5 J72 uezfo z 1 611491 165 613% mason atented May 5, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES IBENJ MAXSON, OF WESTERLY, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JULIAN W. MAXSON, OF WESTERLY, RHODE ISLAND SHEET CUTTING AND FEEDING MACHINE Application filed December 10, 1929. Serial No. 413,008.

The present invention relates to machines for cutting sheets from a web, more particularly a light-weight-paper web, and thereafter feeding them.

In one type of machine of the abovedescribed character the web of paper is led to the cutter at a downward incline, the sheets, after they are cut from the web, continuing to travel at the downward incline, by their own inertia, to tapes that feed the sheets further into a lay-boy The tapes, being horizontal, are disposed at an angle to the incline, with the result that the sheet has a tendency to bend during its travel from the cutter to the tapes. A smallboard is usually disposed along the path of travel of the sheet from the cutter to the tapes, the function of the board being to engage the sheets and thereby resist their tendency to bend. By thus rubbing against the board,

however, the sheets generate objectionable static electricity, that interferes with the free feeding of the sheets. This is particularly true with light-weight papers, as these have a tendency, owing to the static electricity, to become attracted to the board and to adhere thereto, making further sheet feeding impossible.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to improve upon machines of the above-described character, to the end that the sheets may be enabled to pass from the cutter to the tapes freely,* and without hindrance by static electricity. The invention is, however, of broader application, and

other objects will, therefore, be explained hereinafter and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 4

The invention will now be explained in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view, in fragmentary elevation, of a machine constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 2 is a section taken upon the line 22 of Fig. 1, the interposed sheet shown in Fig. 1

- being omitted from Fig. 2.

A web 2 of material, like paper, is delivered by a feed mechanism 3, at a downward incline, as shown in Fig. 1, to a rotating cutter 4. The cutter 4 is mounted upon a rum 5.that is rotated to cause the cutter 4 to cooperate with a stationary cutter block 6 to sever the paper into sheets 8. The cutter 4 and the cutter block 6 may be dispensed with if the sheets that it is desired to feed have been previously cut. The sheets 8, after they are out, are shown fed by horizontally disposed tapes 10 to any desired location, as to a lay-b (not shown). The horizontally dispose tapes are naturally disposed at an angle to the before-mentioned downward incline. In traveling by their own inertia from the cutters 4 and 6 -to the horizontally disposed tapes at the downward incline, therefore, the sheets have a tendency to bend downward. A board 12, held in position by a support 27 is, therefore, usually interposed in the path of feeding movement of the sheets, between the cutters and the tapes, for engaging the sheets during their travel along thesaid path. This board resists the bending tendency of the sheets, and thus facilitates' the travel of the sheet from the cutters to the tapes. The friction of the board against the sheets, however, has a tendency to generate objectionable static electricity. In order to reduce the amount of static electricity thus generated, the board may be replaced by tapes or other positively driven mechanism. This, however, would add to the expense.

the tapes 10 may be less than ten inches, there is seldom room for positioning such positive driving means in the small space between the cutters 4 and 6 and the tapes 10.

According to a feature of the present invention, however, the board is provided with a plurality of freely vrotatable rolls 14 that project out from the board and engage the paper sheets during their travel from the cutters to the tapes. The travel of the sheets is thus practically unhindered, and the generation of static electricity is minimized, if not entirely prevented.

More serious still, as the whole distance between the cutters and In the specific embodiment of the invention that is herein illustrated and described, the rolls, of one inch diameter, and 4, inch thick, are constituted of fibre. They are disposed in staggered mortise holes or openings 16, the openings 16 being disposed along horizontal lines and connected together by horizontally disposed narrow grooves 18 A wire 20, say of inch diameter, is disposed in each groove throughout the full width of the board and is securely fastened at the ends of the board at 22 in any desired way. The anti-friction rolls 14 are mountedin the openings 16 upon the wires 20, and as the openings therein are 1 g inch diameter, are free to rotate on the wires without any possibility of binding by friction. The grooves should provide a tight fit for the wires. The rolls 14 are thus disposed inparallel lines at right angles to the direction of travel of the sheets, producing as little friction as possible when the sheets engage the rolls.

Owing to the nature of the bends produced in the sheets 8 near the cutters, the uppermost rolls 14 should be as high up as possible. The uppermost groove 18, therefore, should be in the thicker portion of the board 12, as close as possible to the top of the board, as close as the thinned-out upper portion 24 of the board will permit. The thin portion 24 is shown tapered in order that the board 12 may abut against the cutter 6 without interference by the cutter support 26. The lowermost groove 16 should similarly be as low as possible without weakening the board.

The invention is obviously susceptible of modifications and changes by persons skilled in the art, and all such are considered to fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for cutting sheets from a 'web and feeding the cut sheets having, in

combination, a cutter, means for feeding the web at a downward incline to the cutter, means for feedin the sheets after they are cut by the cutter from the web in a direction at an angle to the said incline, a member in the path of feeding movement of the sheets from the cutter to the sheet-feeding means, and freely rotatable anti-friction rolls carried by the member and adapted to be engaged by the sheets during their travel from the cutter to the sheet-feeding means.

2. A machine for cutting sheets from a Web and feeding the cut sheets having, in combination, a cutter, means for feeding the web at a downward incline to the cutter, means for feeding the sheets after they are cut by the cutter from the Web in a direction at an angle to the said incline, a plurality of substantially parallel wires in the path of feeding movement of the sheets from the cutter to the sheet-feeding means and extending in a direction substantially at right angles to the said path, and a plurality of rollers mounted to rotate freely about the wires, the

rollers being adapted to be engaged by the sheets during their travel in the said ath.

3. A machine for cutting sheets rom a Web and feeding the cut sheets having, in combination, a cutter, means for feeding the Web at a downward incline to the cutter, means for feeding the sheets after they are cut by the cutter from the web in a direction at an angle to the said incline, a board in the path of feeding movement of the sheets from the cutter to the sheet-feeding means, the board having a plurality of substantially parallel narrow grooves extending in a direction substantially at right angles to the said path and a plurality of staggered openings spaced along the grooves, a Wire in each groove, and anti-friction rolls mounted in the openings and freely rotatable about the wires, the rolls being adapted to be engaged by the sheets during their travel in the said ath. P In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

CHARLES BENJAMIN MAXSON. 

